A Knotty Problem
by Shmendrick
Summary: Cato and Peeta go hunting together and Peeta uses his knot-tying skills to get a decent night's sleep. Rated T for swearing. Slash.


**My only excuse for this is that inspiration struck in the early hours of the morning and I quite liked it so I kept it. Cato and Peeta split off from the others to hunt the other tributes and Peeta ties Cato to a tree so he can get some sleep. Yes it's slash but nothing dirty.**

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"When I get my hands on you, District 12, I'm going to make you wish that was real fire in the tribute parade."

Peeta nodded, trying to conceal his grin.

"How exactly do you plan on getting your hands on me?"

Cato glared. He had been outwitted by a boy from District 12 of all places. If this was being shown back home he'd never hear the end of it. Him, Cato, caught with his trousers down as the saying went, _don't even go there_ his mind warned him. Peeta chuckled.

"I'll leave you to ruminate on that one then. Night, hope you don't mind standing guard, well sitting guard."

"Hilarious," muttered Cato bitterly, and with that Peeta rolled over and went to sleep leaving Cato to swear at him under his breath for the next two hours as he struggled to get out of his bonds.

"I'm going to kill you, you little fucker, I'm going to make it slow," he warned as the night got colder, Peeta rolled over to face him once again.

"Seeing as I'm not the one currently tied to a tree nor the one not in a sleeping bag I'm not going to waste too much time worrying about your homicidal tendencies for now. "

Cato kicked some leaves and mud at him, straining uselessly against the rope. Whatever else Lover-boy was, _too smart for his own fucking good, too good-looking for his own fucking – once again Cato do not go there_, he could tie knots like nobody's business.

"You know, anyone would think you don't trust me," he remarked as calmly as he could, studying what little sky could be seen through the branches above his head and doing his level best to avoid Peeta's amused gaze.

"I'm completely lost as to why anyone wouldn't trust someone like you," Peeta replied. "A rational and calm man like you, never known to be violent, no matter how much someone provokes him."

"That girl deserved it!"

"Yes Cato, of course she did. It's not like you were going to kill her or anything, it was very wrong of her to swear at you" Peeta replied as patronisingly as he could manage.

"Just untie me would you? My hands are dead."

"My heart just bleeds for you; I think I'm going to have to go to sleep to get over this tragedy."

"You know you'll have to untie me at some point,"

"No I don't."

"So is this how you plan on winning? By tying everyone to trees and leaving them to die."

"Well as fun as that sounds, no. I wasn't going to leave you to die."

"So you are going to have to untie me at some point! I knew it!"

"I'm not going to be the one doing the untying."

"Eh?"

Peeta chuckled again.

"Oh you little fucker!"

"Sticks and stones, Cato, sticks and stones."

"I'll use sticks and stones to beat you to death with if you leave me here and go and tell Clove about this."

"I think she'd appreciate it, I'm sure they could all do with a good laugh in fact. I could add a pretty bow and tell her I've found a present for her in fact, I'm sure she'd like that."

Cato glared at him, momentarily lost for words.

"Shut your mouth, you'll catch a fly. What's wrong with your girlfriend knowing?"

"Not my girlfriend," he said stubbornly, sounding like a three-year old and cursing himself for it as he did so.

"Sorry, what's the term then? Friends with benefits?"

Cato laughed.

"She wishes."

"I'm not sure anyone wishes for that Cato, I'd be more worried about catching something nasty from you."

"Low blow Lover-boy."

"I can go lower,"

"Bet you can," Cato smirked; _don't think about that too deeply, anything but that._

"Not for you."

"I forgot you're from the outer districts, sing love-songs about goats do you?"

"Only the pretty ones."

And with that Peeta went back to sleep, leaving Cato to suffer the night alone. He spent a while trying to tug the knots loose but soon realised he was only pulling them tighter and gave up to plan how to kill Peeta when he finally got out, preferably before Clove saw him. Clove, Peeta hadn't been too far off the mark about her actually, sex was always a good way of releasing tension after training and he and Clove had been training partners for a long time. His mentors had known about it but ignored it even though it was probably against some rule or another. He wriggled for a bit longer trying to find a position that didn't make his spine ache too much then finally managed to snatch some fitful sleep.

It was the dawn that woke him, that and the twig stabbing his leg every time he twitched slightly. His arms were still dead but, slightly more worryingly, Peeta was nowhere to be seen.

"The little fucker." Cato was immediately certain Peeta had gone to tell Clove where he'd left Cato, he expected to hear her mocking laughter any second. He fought against the ropes even more futilely now in a slight panic though he'd never admit it when he heard footsteps behind him. They were too heavy to be Clove's, _Thresh? Marvel? _He doubted Lover-boy would come back, he had no reason to doubt the promises Cato had made last night,_ he wasn't scared though, he was laughing. _If it was any of the other tributes he'd never live this down, _hell if they've seen this at home I'll never live it down. _The footsteps stopped next to him and he looked round to see Peeta watching him.

"Still not managed to get out? And that nick-name is getting a mite repetitive, you should really expand your vocabulary,"

"If I had got out you wouldn't be smiling like that."

"You've threatened me a lot recently; it's not that scary anymore."

"When I get out of here it will be."

"I'm so afraid that my hands are shaking too hard to undo the knots," Peeta dead-panned, knowing the exact reaction he'd get from the other boy. He wasn't disappointed.

"Temper, temper," he taunted, crouching next to Cato to cut through the knots. Cato glowered at him but stayed still to avoid being stabbed by Peeta as he sawed through the tough rope.

"Waste of a good rope," Cato commented, twisting slightly to see how Peeta was doing.

"Well you stabbing me would've been a waste of good life so on the whole I'd prefer to waste the rope. Stop moving!"

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one with dead arms because some twat tied you to a tree,"

"You're not the one who has to worry about a spear in the back,"

"Ow!"

"Now see what you made me do, I don't know how Clove puts up with you, I said do not move," Peeta sighed and inspected the cut he'd just made accidentally.

"First you tie me to a tree then you stab me, anyone would think you don't like me Lover-boy,"

"As a general rule I don't like homicidal maniacs,"

"Every rule has its exceptions." Cato grinned as Peeta swatted at him with his free hand. What Peeta didn't realise was that he'd cut through the rope enough to allow Cato to get free and it took him by surprise when Cato lunged forward and landed on him.

"Fuck,"

"Exactly Lover-boy,"

"And your next move is?"

"Putting your nick-name to the test."

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**Well? Please feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Peeta seems a bit OOC but he's pretending to be a Career so it's kinda justified. **


End file.
